Ice cube tray



Feb. 23, 1965 s. P. cucuzzA ICE CUBE TRAY Filed July 11, 1962 22 36 Fig. 3

INVENTOR. SALVATORE P. CUCUZZA ATTORNEY i tain cracked ice by simultaneously cracking each United States Patent O 3,170,308 ICE CUBE TRAY Salvatore I. Cucuzza, 3803 Dorchester Road, Philadelphia 14, Pa.

' Fired Jury 1r, 1962, ser. No. 269,133

s claims. (ci. 62-367) separately cracking cubes of ice after they areremoved from the standard home freezer tray. Such methods, as are well known, are not convenient or fast.

One expedient is the dividing unit for trays as disclosed in the patent to Pappas, No. 2,799,998, July 23, 1957. The present invention may be considered an improvement on this earlier structure, for reasons set forth in the body of the specicatoin. A

It is an object of this invention to provide means to obcube of ice in a partitioned tray.

It is another object `ofthis invention to .provide an ice freezing tray equipped with cracking means, and adapted to contain a conventional movable tray partition.

3,170,38 Patented Feb. 23, 1 965 ice The actuating means include several elements, and its purpose is to move the movable partition 37 with relation to the lixed partition 36. Theactuating means includes a lever 31 connected to the iixedV longitudinal partition at lever pivot 33. In the particular form illustrated, the iixed partition extends upwards above its normal height at 'one end thereof, so that the lever 31 mayy be more easily pivoted thereto. An arm 35 is connected at oneend thereof to lever 31 bymeans of arm pivot; 32. Y Arm pivot 32 is positioned on said lever 31 a short distance from that end of the lever which has lever pivot 33. The other end .of arm 35 is connected to an end .of said movable longi- It is yet another object of this inventionto provide an i ice cube tray and partition combination in which said r"partition is of a conventional movable type, in which icey cubes frozen; in said .tray may be allV simultaneously cracked ,by moving said partition.

Other aims and objects of this invention are made `apl parent in the specication.

The invention is best understood in'connection with theY drawings, inV which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which: 1

FIGURE 1 is a top View `of a ice` cube freezing tray and movablefpartition; and

FIGURE 2..is a View, partially infcross-section, taken,` along line 2-2 of VFIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a view as in FIGURE 2 wherein and r FIGURE 4 is a detailed View of a post means mounted in a tray.

The ice cube freezer `tray and partitionl combination generally designatedl. Itincludes the tray 20 and theV partitionth Whilemany such combinations are known `in whichthe partitions are stationary,'it",is necessary for the practice of this invention thatthe partition means30 be of the movable' type. The structure and operation of such movable partitions are well known, and in this inthe movable partition has been actuated to free and crack the ice;

tudinal partition 37 by means of partition pivot. 34 which is provided at one end of said partition.Y The foregoing elements comprise the actuating means.

Notches are provided in thel upper edge of the movable partition 37 and in the lower edge of fixed partition 36.

Each said set of notches corresponds with a transverse blade 39. Each blade 39 is continued through the notch inthe lixed partition and through the notch in the movable partition. Thus, each transverse blade 39 is provided with a vertical slot stopping short'of the edges thereof, andv through which the lixed and movable partitions tit.

In the normal Ior freezing position, the lever 31 lies ilat,`

and the blades are slanted, as shown in FIGUREv 2. After the water or other material has been frozen, the lever 31 is raised, as shown in FIGURE 3." This operation moves the movable partition 37 to the left, and carriesrthe top of each transverse blade 39 in the same direction; Thus, each transverse blade tends to pivot around its lower edge in its notch in the xed partition. This operation in the conventional tray and partition combination, freesthe ice cubes so thatthey may be easily removed.

It is understood that the ice shapes called cubes are notV necessarily geometrically cubical, but are described as cubes in common usage. Also, it is apparent that the conventional partitions described above may Vary from the form shown. For example, there may be-a plurality l i 'of longitudinal partitions inthe assembly.

f Thepartition means 30 is useful in conjnnctionwith a tray, generally designated 20.v The tray 20 is generally and usually a shallow, elongated container open at the top; The tray'comprises a-bottom 22. At spaced inter- Vals yalong'thebottom 22 are provided a plurality of posts 24. Each such post24 ,is a firm, preferably solid, up-

standing member which rises from bottom 22 a 'substantial-` l' proportion of the depthtof tray 20. Preferably, the-post V4 does not extend above the upper rim of the tray.

verse blades 39 are provided, each of said blades 39 being dimensioned-to tinside .saidtray 20v as best shown in FIGURE v1..-.

A movable longitudinal partition `3"/` is provided, directly 20.l At one end thereof, the movable partition is connected to actuating means.

`It is apparent from the drawings that a post 24 is pro 50,v

vided tocorrespond to each ice cube compartment and jdefined bythe longitudinal or partition,n the' transverse blades, and the sides, er1dSA and the bottom 22 4of the tray.

The ice cube compartment may be bounded by various.y combinations of some o r all of the aforementioned Ymemfbers. Preferably, each post 24 ris centered in its com.

partment. n

A preferred form of the post is that shown lindtail in FIGURE 4. In this embodimentratapered post 24A is provided. lt is rmly fastened to ltray bottom 22 by means Aof a stud 24BA extending through hole 22A in bottom 22. Y i

The stud is headed with head 24C. This is really one convenient way of fastening the vpost to the bottom, and other fastening means are within the scope of thisfinvention.

In. operation, a tray and partition means combination are lled with water vand the water is frozen. Lever` 31?, Y

y 4 ,m when operated upwards, `frees the ice cubes as has been above the xed partition 36, adjacent thereto and inisliding described, and simultaneously at least part of each cube stemming from operation of lever 31 is appa'rentfrom comparingV FIGURES`2 and 3. It has been found thatwhen this operation is performed, each cube of ice fragments or shatters or cracks into smaller irregular pieces, which have advantages as have been described.

This invention has several advantages over known similar structures. for each ice cube. It isa much easier and more economical operation to mount posts on the flat open surface of a tray 20 than to mount them on parts or faces of the partition means. In this invention therefore, the partition faces may be described as smooth. It has been found that the post mounted as set forth herein produces a more complete fragmentation of the ice with less effort than pre viously known means.

Another advantage is that it is possible to replace presently used trays with properly sized trays equipped with posts 24. It is a relatively simple matter to modify the simple shapes of standard sized ice cube trays by providing the post, whereas it would be extremely difficult to modify the various types of known partition means to be included with standard trays. Y

It is noted that a characteristic of this invention as opposed to other known ice breaker devices is that in this invention a post is held stationary and the ice to be broken is moved past it.

The scope of this invention to be determined by the appendant claims. The specification and drawings are illustrative and not limiting.

I claim:

1. An ice cube tray and partition combination, comprising a movable partition means having smooth faces, a tray, said partition means fitting into said tray and defining, together with said tray, a plurality of ice cube compartments, a plurality of rigid non-yielding posts mounted on said tray, each of said posts extending into one of said ice cube compartments, and actuating means attached to said parf 3 For example, only one post is required set forth in claim l wherein said movable partition means comprises a longitudinal partition, and a plurality of transverse blades connected to said longitudinal partition.

3. An ice cube tray and partition means combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said longitudinal partition comprises a fixed longitudinal partition and a movable longitudinal partition, and said actuating means is pivoted on said fixed longitudinal partition and operatively connected to said movable longitudinal partition by means of a pivoted arm.

4. An ice cube tray and partition means combination as set Vforth in claim 3 wherein each of said posts is mounted on the bottom of said tray in the interior thereof at approximately the center of each said defined ice cube compartment.

5. An ice cube tray and partition combination cornprising atray having a bottom, a rigid non-yielding metal post inside said tray axed to the bottom thereof, partition means at least partially defining an ice cube compartment around said post, said partition means being movable, and

having smooth faces and actuating means to move said:

partition, whereby ice formed in said compartment is moved relative to said fixed and stationary post when said actuating means is operated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,303,617 12/42 Copeman 62-369 2,537,915 1/51 Roop 62-370 2,674,861 4/54 Giordano 62-320 2,726,517 12/55 Pruett 62-369 2,783,619 3/57 Yates 62--320 2,799,998 7/57 Pappas 62-320 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. EDWARD I. MICHAEL, Examiner. 

1. AN ICE CUBE TRAY AND PARTITION COMBINATION, COMPRISING A MOVABLE PARTITION MEANS HAVING SMOOTH FACES, A TRAY, SAID PARTITION MEANS FITTING INTO SAID TRAY AND DEFINING, TOGETHER WITH SAID TRAY, A PLURALITY OF ICE CUBE COMPARTMENTS, A PLURALITY OF RIGID NON-YIELDING POSTS MOUNTED ON SAID TRAY, EACH OF SAID POSTS EXTENDING INTO ONE OF SAID ICE CUBE 